The Connecticut Supreme Court has ruled that the principles of the child support guidelines chart now apply to higher-income families.

To calculate child support, a family’s net income is multiplied by a percentage rate shown on the chart for their income level. But the chart only gives percentage rates for incomes up to $208,000. It had been thought that when family income exceeded $208,000, the chart (and its percentages) did not necessarily apply.

Now, the Court has ruled that the percentage rates on the chart for incomes of $208,000 are ordinarily the maximum percentage rates that can be applied to incomes over $208,000.

To clarify: for incomes over $208,000, the dollar amount of child support still increases as income increases. But the percentage rate used to calculate child support is now ordinarily capped at the percentage rate for incomes of $208,000.